The Special Two
by LeaDepp
Summary: Set after Always Faithful. Danny returns from the marines and finds out something happened between Mary and Luis. How will he react?


**The Special Two**

**A/N: This piece was originally inspired by the gorgeous song "The Special Two" by the beautiful Missy Higgins. It actually ended up going in a different direction than I had originally planned but I think it's much better for it. That said, I've still used lyrics from the chorus and those are italics. At this stage it's a one shot but if I get inspired I may add an extra chapter or to. Read, review and enjoy.**

**I disclaim…**

_But I will fight for you, _

_Be sure that I will fight _

_Until we're the special two once again…_

"Danny, I'm sorry," I whisper, feeling tears prick the back of my eyes. "I –" I break off. Danny's staring at me speechless, a look on his face like he suddenly doesn't know who I am. I've known him since we were two but never in that entire time had I seen him look so hurt.

"Mary, I –" he starts. I can hear the disbelief in his voice. "I have to get back to Ed."

There's a finality in his voice. He doesn't want to talk about this. Not ever.

He quickly turns, ready to leave me standing alone and pathetic in the hall.

"Danny, please," I beg rushing to block his path. "Can you just let me explain?"

"Explain what? I think you made yourself perfectly clear?"

He tries to push past me but I'm too quick, grabbing his arm to stop him rushing off. He freezes were he stands, leaving his back turned toward me. I can see his jaw tighten like he was restraining himself from doing something stupid. Restraining his anger from me.

"What did you expect me to think?" I questioned, desperately trying to make him understand. "Did you expect me to wait for you? You left. Same as last time. You never said anything to make me believe that this time was any different."

"I just never expected to hear it from Delinda." Pulling his arms out of my grip he starts off down the hall in long angry strides.

I find myself starting at his retreating back for a few seconds before my brain kicks back into gear.

"Danny, wait!" I call starting after him, cursing my high heels. "I was going to tell you. I swear."

He stops, turning back around to face me, green eyes flashing.

"When Mary?" I've been back for two weeks."

"I've been waiting for the right time."

My reply sounded weak even to me. It wasn't even a clever lie. A half-truth extrapolated perhaps. The full, honest truth was that I had been far too scared to tell Danny. The past two weeks every time I saw him the little voice telling me to tell him was drowned out by the other voice. The other voice telling me that Danny was already jealous enough of Luis there was no reason to make the situation worse.

But most of all – I was scared. Bone-chillingly, piss-my-pants scared that if I told Danny I may just lose him completely and forever. As best-friends and lover.

Not that we had ever been like that. Making love twice in five years did not exactly elevate us to lover status.

I look back up at Danny as he sighs before speaking again, his words clipped. "I can see how the right time might elude you for two days, but not two weeks."

"Why is this such a big deal?" I ask in frustration. Part of me knows the answer, maybe I just wanted to hear the words from his mouth. "We've never exactly been like that."

"Because it's you and me," Danny explodes. "Because we've been best friends for so long all the usual relationship rules don't matter."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I almost scream. "That because I'm friends with you I can't see other people? Yes, Danny, we did sleep together. Twice. The first time you ignored it. The second, what was I supposed to think? You didn't write. I hadn't heard a single word from you in three months. Tell me, what I was supposed to think. What was there that made me more than just another one of your conquests?"

"What was I supposed to say? I didn't know how long I was going to be or even if it I was going to make it back. It seemed a little ridiculous to ask you to wait. I just didn't expect you to jump into bed with the first guy who came along."

I step back in shock, feeling like he had slapped me. "I messed up okay. Forgive me for wanting to try and move on. I've spent so much of my life waiting for you to be ready I was sick of it."

I step back into the wall, letting the cool steel comfort and support me, tears flowing freely down my face.

"How do you think I felt, Danny? Watching you with Delinda. Sam. Any of the others. I never said anything. For so long, I never said anything. Then we got trapped in that elevator and you still didn't want me. It hurt so much. Then when you were gone, when you weren't around everyday I finally started to accept it. As far as you were concerned we were never going to happen."

I feel Danny take a few steps closer to me, crowding my personal space. He brings a hand up, gently wiping away my tears.

"Hey," he whispers gently, his hand tipping my chin up to look him in the eye. I find myself becoming rapidly lost in chocolate brown. "That's not true. I was scared. When it comes to you I've always felt like a little kid trying to play adult games. But when it comes down to it – those two nights – I've never felt like I was in the right place more than I have then."

I reach a hand out, smoothing down Danny's collar as I find the words to make myself clear. "You say that and it sounds so good but I don't think you really understand what it means."

"I do. More than you know."

I want to yell at him, to scream at him to prove it. I don't. I stand there, back pressed hard against the wall, gazing up at him silently begging him to make me believe what he was saying.

"The first time I got back, I was so scared. We were two completely different people than we were in high school. I didn't even know if we could still be friends. I thought if I pushed it and we didn't work I would lose you forever. I didn't know what else to do so I ignored it. I didn't say anything and for so long neither did you. I thought that was it for us. Then the night in the elevator proved me so wrong. I was so shocked. I thought I'd put you behind me, but I hadn't. All those feelings came pouring back, so strong, so insistent that they scared me. The next few weeks I was so confused, so terrified. I didn't know what to do. Then I got recalled and I knew my time was up. That night – I didn't go to your house to sleep with you. I went to spend time with you. I knew that whatever was going to happen I wanted to remember Vegas and think of you."

I'm shocked. I've got no idea what to say. Explanations I've been silently begging for suddenly presented on a platter.

"Then the last two weeks…" I finally whisper, trailing off, letting Danny pick up the sentence.

"The last two weeks you've been running a mile whenever I've tried to have a conversation with you."

I suddenly realise what he had said was true. I'd been avoiding him since he had gotten back to avoid telling him what had happened with Luis.

Oh god. It's only then I realise what this conversation was originally about. We'd gotten so sidetracked.

"You're not angry about Luis?"

Danny looks down at me, his eyes shinning with emotion. "Jealous? Yes. Annoyed about how I found out? A little. Angry? No. I understand. I really do. Like you said, I never gave you any reason to think we were anything more than friends."

Looking up at him, I know I've never seen him so naked and honest before. Not since his mother died. His masks completely removed. Being honest with himself and me. It's more than I can take.

Almost instantly I find my lips crushing his, my tongue tracing his lips begging for entrance. I moan as his mouth opens, his taste invading my senses. It's everything that I remember it to be. All consuming, intoxicating, exhilarating. My arms twist their way around the back of his neck, pulling him closer as he pushes me further into the wall.

Distantly I'm aware of a cell phone ringing. Danny suddenly pulls back, gasping for breath, his forehead resting against mine. As the world comes into focus around me I rapidly realise that it's Danny's cell which was ringing.

"I'm really sorry," he manages.

"Ed," I finish, understanding completely.

"Sorry," he mumbles again. "Dinner? My place? Tonight?" he whispers casually.

"Okay," I whisper.

Sighing I watch as Danny hurries towards the surveillance room, pulling out his cell as he goes, talking animatedly to Ed. He may not have actually said the words, but I knew he meant them.

_And we will only need each other,_

_We'll bleed together_

_Our hands will not be taught to hold another's_

_Cos we're the special two._

_And we can only see each other,_

_We'll breathe together_

_These's arms will not be taught to need another's_

_Cos we're the special two._


End file.
